Cynical Parent
When it comes to food, there’s a good chance you struggle in some way with your toddler. Some don’t eat much at all and you’re always trying to get them to eat something…anything.
Some will eat, but struggle to eat healthy. And some are just downright picky in general.
We’ve tackled meals before, but now we’re going to focus on something near and dear to every toddler’s heart: snacks.
Snacks are usually less of a struggle, but how do you get them to actually eat something that’s healthy?
Let’s check it out…there’s a lot here!
100+ Healthy Snacks for Toddlers
In no particular order, here are some snacks that we’ve found to be both healthy and enjoyed by most toddlers.
#1 Baked Apple Chips
The ingredients for this one are super simple: all you need are apples, sugar, and cinnamon. And all the magic happens in the oven.
If you’re really trying to cut out the sugar, you can omit that from the recipe and just sprinkle a little cinnamon on the apple slices.
Slice them thin and bake them at 240 degrees for about 2 hours (until they start to look crispy).
Source: Eating on a Dime (get the full recipe here)
#2 Frozen Yogurt Dots
This is a homemade, healthy twist on the classic dot candies. And all it takes are some fresh fruit (the one in the picture uses raspberries and mango) and Greek yogurt.
Toddlers absolutely LOVE these little things.
Source: Food Network (get the full recipe here)
#3 Homemade Fruit Roll-ups
Seeing this brings me waaay back to my childhood. Fruit roll-ups are an all-time classic snack.
Once again, we’ve got a healthy snack that’s simple and easy to make (hit the link below for ingredients and instructions).
Source: Amanda’s Cookin’ (get the recipe here)
#4 Apple Sandwiches
This is a fun snack that uses apple slices instead of bread to make a “sandwich.”
There’s actually a lot of different ways you can do this (i.e. put whatever you want between the two apple slices) but this particular recipe calls for granola and almond butter.
Source: Garnish with Lemon (get the full recipe here)
#5 Ants on a Log
This is a classic kid’s snack that you probably already know how to make! I remember eating these all the time growing up, and my kids today love them.
It’s really simple: get some celery stalks, cut them approximately 4 inches long. Spread peanut butter inside the groove of the celery and top it off with a few raisins.
And that’s it! Kids love it, and more importantly, it’s a relatively healthy snack.
#6 Blueberry Banana Muffins with Oats
If there’s one snack you can probably get toddlers to universally agree on, it’s muffins.
Muffins can be pretty unhealthy at times…especially store bought, pre-packaged muffins that are often high in sugar.
This recipe doesn’t call for any refined sugar – the sweetness comes from the fruit and the little bit of honey to help balance out the flavors.
Source: Yummy Toddler Food (get the full recipe here)
#7 Cheesy Carrot Snack
I know this sounds strange at first, but it’s actually tasty and full of protein. The concept is very similar to potato pancakes, except you’re making the healthy substitute of carrots instead of potatoes.
This recipe is quick to make and will be a unique treat for your little ones.
Source: The Suburban Mom (get the recipe here)
#8 Ham and Cheese Roll-ups
This one is super easy…grab some string cheese, wrap it with deli meat (ham, turkey, etc.) and cut it up to look fancy.
With different cheeses and deli meats to try, you can mix it up so that you aren’t having the same thing each time.
Kids love string cheese, so this is a great way to add a little bit of protein to it and create a healthy and enjoyable snack.
Source: The Gracious Wife (get the recipe here)
#9 No Bake Strawberry Bars
This one probably won’t be the quickest snack on our list but trust me it’s worth it.
The nice thing is, this is a no-bake recipe, so once you’re done putting it together, you’re done.
The recipe does give you the option to add chocolate chips…that might be a good way to take this from being a mid-day snack to an after-dinner dessert (a healthier alternative to cookies or ice cream, if your kids usually eat that).
Source: Chocolate Covered Katie (get the recipe here)
But wait, there are more healthy snacks for toddlers!
So, we covered a handful of our favorite snacks above, but in case those don’t quite do it for you, we’re going to link to a few other posts to give you even more healthy snacks for toddlers. There is a wealth of good ideas here!
- 30 Healthy Snacks Toddlers with Love (from Eating on a Dime)
- 30 Healthy Toddler Snacks that are Simple and Easy (from Motherhood Sprouting)
- 15 Healthy Smoothies for Toddlers + Kids (from Baby Foode)
- 25 Healthy Toddler Snacks to Take on the Go (from Yummy Toddler Food)
What are your favorites?
Hopefully we’ve given you enough ideas to try here, but in case we missed something, we would love to hear from you in the comments. What are your favorite healthy snacks for toddlers?
